Molly Molloy and Lucinda Chambers at the 2022 TMagazine x Salone Del Mobile event in Milan, Italy.
Photo: Pietro S. D’Aprano/Getty Images for TMagazine
These are the stories making headlines in fashion on Wednesday.
AZ Factory taps the Colville Duo for next show at Paris Fashion Week AZ Factory is getting a new vision for its upcoming runway collection, according to WWD. The Paris-based label founded by the late Alber Elbaz tapped design duo Molly Molloy and Lucinda Chambers from the eclectic ready-to-wear boutique Colville. The guest designers will showcase their new line, which they say will reinterpret “smart fashion that cares,” on Monday, March 6 for Paris Fashion Week Fall 2023. {WWD}
Street style has a fatphobia problem — can it be fixed? For Refinery29, writer and LIM College professor Dominique Norman reports on the lack of size inclusivity in the world of street style and provides expert insight ahead of the Fall 2023 shows. After tasking her students to find plus-size individuals in street-style photos for last season, Norman and her class found that of 34,500 Getty Images, only 134, or 0.4%, of pictures feature plus-size subjects across New York, London, Milan and Paris. {Refinery29}
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Mara Hoffman’s oh-so-popular popcorn dress For The Cut, Allison P. Davis explores the rising popularity of the popcorn dress. Reminiscent of Y2K fashion and kitschy, throwback Limited Too style, the silhouette comes stretchy, comfy and form-fitting – and its textured fabric is all the more reasons to love it. Davis highlights Mara Hoffman‘s interpretation of the design, which comes in a slew of variations and in sizes XXS to 3X, and chats with fans on what makes this dress too good to resist. {The Cut}
In fashion, the top headlines of 2022 were brimming with excitement and chaos.
Scandals swept Balenciaga and any brand associated with the artist formerly known as Kanye West. Legislation offered a new pathway for sustainability in fashion. A new guard of creatives took the helm at some of the world’s most stories houses, while a recession loomed over the whole industry.
Ever since the pandemic struck in 2020, the years have felt as though they’ve all bled together. That’s certainly true for fashion news — so, we’re recapping the biggest headlines in the industry from 2022, from the biggest controversies to the most notable moments of progress.
Designers Act Amid Russia’s war on Ukraine
Photo: Dimitar Dilkoff/Getty Images
In a major escalation of a longstanding conflict, Russia invaded Ukraine in late February, kicking off an intensified war that hasn’t stopped. The fashion industry responded with letters, donations and posts on social media. Vogue Ukraine called designers to action, while Granary — the fashion education platform founded by Ukrainian Central Saint Martins graduate Olya Kuryshchuk — shared an open letter urging the community to condemn Russia.
Groups like LVMH and Kering donated to aid groups like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), while some brands suspended business in Russia altogether. Meanwhile, designers like Demna took to the runway for messaging against the war (before the brand was embroiled in scandal).
Balenciaga ended the year not with a celebration, but with a series of apologetic statements.
The Kering-owned luxury brand released its Balenciaga Gift Shop campaign on Nov. 16, showing a range of new giftable items from the brand, “staged around children dressed in the Balenciaga Kids line” — however, it soon started trending, with many criticizing the photos showing children next to wine glasses, holding teddy bears in BDSM-reminiscent harnesses.
#BalenciagaGate only got more heat when people turned attention to its Spring 2023 campaign, released just a few days after on Nov. 21. The Joshua Bright-photographed imagery was set in an office, and among a variety of props strewn across a desk, there was a printed copy of the 2008 United States v. Williams decision on child pornography laws. More controversy ensued.
Every era in fashion has had its big names. Now, the industry is moving forward with a new guard of creatives taking seats at the helms of the world’s biggest, most influential houses.
Meanwhile, we’re seeing some of the most powerful names in fashion step back. Riccardo Tisci showed his final Burberry collection in September, and has been replaced by Daniel Lee. Alessandro Michele, who ushered in a new era of extravagance at Gucci, stepped down in November, after seven years at the helm and two decades at the brand. That month, Raf Simons also announced the closure of his eponymous label after 27 years in business.
Known for his encyclopedic knowledge of the industry and larger-than-life presence, Talley was creative director and then editor-at-large at Vogue, responsible for some must-read columns that inspired the next generation and becoming one of the first Black editors to reach the top of the masthead.
Raised in the Jim Crow South, Talley detailed his ascension in fashion and the racism he had to work against in his memoir, “The Chiffon Trenches.” He peeled back the curtain with language as entertaining as it is profound, welcoming wonder in a world often guarded by walls. He ushered in a new guard of dreamers, building his audience and developing close ties with educational institutions like SCAD.
As Fashionista reported, size diversity on the runway regressed in 2022, with the number of New York Fashion Week shows featuring non-sample-sized models dwindling from past seasons, after this issue had become such a talking point pre-pandemic. With runways often being in the market of what’s in and what’s cool, the exclusion of different bodies served as a disappointment.
Sustainability’s next frontier
Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
The fashion industry is notoriously under-regulated, but a new chapter is on the horizon in the U.S., with legislation presenting a path forward for the conversation around sustainability.
… All the while, Kardashian was laughing her way to the bank, by way of Skims, which reached a $3.2 billion valuation in 2022, thanks to new funding and ever-loving fans.
“This latest round will allow us to focus on bringing more innovations and solutions to our customers and become even more of a trusted resource for them,” Kardashian told Fortune.
Since launching in 2019, Skims has found rapid success in shapewear and loungewear, with the pandemic catapulting its cozier categories. This year, the brand also took home the inaugural CFDA Innovation Award presented by Amazon at the trade organization’s annual ceremony.
Patagonia literally gave itself away as a company in the name of environmental preservation and sustainability: This year, American rock climber-turned-businessman Yvon Chouinard transferred ownership of the brand he founded to a trust and nonprofit. The company said it was “going purpose” instead of “going public,” making Earth its main shareholder — a first-of-its-kind move.
The year of the ‘nepo baby’
Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
For the (somehow) uninitiated, “nepo babies” are relatives of successful, famous or otherwise well-connected people who then end up successful, famous or otherwise well-connected. In 2022, they got called out on online and on the front pages of magazines, with the connections that may have helped them reach their heights of career success being called into question.
Of course, fashion has always lovednepo babies, from Hadids to Jenners to Gerbers. And every year, there’s a new class to look out for in campaigns or sitting in the front row at a Miu Miu show.
Rihanna’s maternity style
Photo: Edward Berthelot/Getty Images
Rihanna has changed any and every new space she’s entered, so it’s no surprise she had the same effect on maternity style as she flaunted her pregnancy in the first half of 2022.
Rather than opting for clothes that covered up her growing bump, the Fenty founder refused to tone down sexiness or her own style. That meant: beaded halter tops, vintage Chanel, diamond belly chains and more. She even got “maternity crop tops” to trend.
Even after their split, Fox continued serving looks, becoming a TikTok star and highlighting emerging designers. She opened LaQuan Smith’s Fall 2022 show and was crowned one of Fashionista’s best dressed celebrities in 2022. She took the cake in ambitious dressing, daring any fan to take it up a notch and dream bigger through their clothes.
